1. How to Write a Political Science Essay
Some Good and Some Questionable Advice

2. How many errors are there in the following sentence and citation?
“The tenants of russian nationalism has lead to Russia adjusting it’s boarders with Ukraine. (Young 2018, p.18)”

3. How many errors are in the following sentence and citation? EIGHT!
“The tenets of Russian nationalism have led to Russia adjusting its borders with Ukraine” (Young 2018, p.18).

4. The Plan How to start writing an essay The Thought Paper biggies
Title and Introduction
Formal citations
Academic writing norms
Some recommendations
Final thoughts and grading philosophy

5. First things first…
What is the first thing you do? READ THE ASSIGNMENT!!!!
Formal Requirements: “Students will write a two-page, single-spaced (approximately words)… An electronic copy in Word should also be posted to the course assignments page on Canvas. Please include a word count on the first page. This paper should be properly documented and footnoted using course readings…”
Question: “Compare and contrast the theories of revolution of James Defronzo and Crane Brinton. Give the key details of each set of theories and state how they are similar and how they are different. Which is more applicable to the revolutionary situation in the world today and why?”
Be sure to answer all parts of the question.
Be original in your presentation of others’ ideas. Don’t just list and don’t copy shared notes or PowerPoints.

6. Starting Your Essay: Title and Intro
Substantive titles! If it’s an essay it needs a unique title.
Introduction – Introduce the topic and structure the essay to come.
First, have one.
1- “Hook” – Catch the reader’s interest. Don’t go overboard, keep it simple.
2- Background / Mood Music – Bring me up to speed and discuss the relevance of topic/question. Tell me why I should care.
3- Thesis: Be specific! Think of this as a one sentence answer to the assignment question(s) or a summary of your argument
This just tells me that you plan to answer the assignment question: “In this essay I will compare and contrast Brinton and Defronzo and then argue that Defronzo is more relevant in today’s world”
This gives me a direction and an argument: “While Brinton and Defronzo similarly emphasize popular discontent, divided elites, and weak government as contributing factors to revolution, it is Defronzo’s unique inclusion of international context that makes his theory more applicable in today’s increasingly globalized world.”

7. Citation Stuff
Two key components: in-text citation/footnotes and a works cited section
The in-text/footnotes signals where a source was used, the works cited section provides the reader with complete information to find the source
In-text/footnotes
For general content you can just cite last name and year at the end of a section, no need to cite the same source after each sentence - (Brinton 1938)
Direct quotation citations immediately follow the quotation and need to include page # - (Brinton 1938, )
IMO: I think it’s way easier to use in-text citations.
Works Cited: Include all the info I would need to find the source.
“N.p” and “N.d” mean no publisher and no date. Should rarely be used if sources are good.
IMO: Just cite the original source not the digital library.
Cite proper sources. In this case needed to directly cite the course readings. Do not cite Wikipedia. It is a good place to start, but no an authoritative academic source.

8. Academic Writing Norms
Don’t use contractions or abbreviations in academic writing.
For acronyms typically spell it out first with acronym in parentheses, then just the acronym thereafter
Typically refer to articles by author’s last name with cited work year in parentheses, not full names or titles.
Titles and full names are usually for major works only, and then only use for the first mention
No need to present authors or give their qualifications – if you’re citing it I will assume it’s a reliable source
Write to a neutral audience – not to your instructor or classmates. “As we have discussed in class” wouldn’t mean anything to some one not in our class. Don’t cite Reading summaries for the same reason.
Don’t refer to essay parts or the research process
“As I stated in the previous sentence…” “In the next paragraph Brinton describes…” “While reading the chapter we read I thought that…” “I could not find a source that supported…”

9. Some Recommendations
Always use formal language. Your writing should be different from how you chat with people at a bar.
Don’t use “I” weak statements and use the passive voice sparingly. Be declarative. It is your essay so there is no need to qualify your arguments.
Don’t use “we” statements (unless you have co-authors)
Be pithy and focus on what is important. These essays are short, so try to accomplish something with every sentence.
Limit direct quotations. Unless a quotation is particularly well stated it’s usually best to put the idea into your own words and cite. If you must use long quotes, indent quotes > 3 lines without quotation marks.
Proofread….Proofread. Do not trust spell check for everything.

10. Final Thoughts and Grading Philosophy
Remember the point of most papers is to practice so don’t worry too much!
You are not your grade! Please feel free to come talk to me! If you are unhappy with your grade or want to discuss where you could improve, please meet with me or send me an .
I am happy to re-grade. Please submit a request in writing with a few sentences about why you think your grade was incorrect. If you request a re- grade your grade can go up or down.
“You don’t start with one hundred and go down, you start
with zero and go up!”
– Joe Jupille